The present invention relates generally to text messaging, such as Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging and, more particularly, concerns a method and apparatus for achieving conferencing of text messages, and related message formats.
Today, text messaging is one of the most widely used data applications in the world and is familiar to virtually every mobile telephone user. The most common text messaging technology, SMS, was originally developed for the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards, but today it is available in every mobile telephone system, as well as satellite and landline systems, such as the public service telephone network. (PSTN).
SMS text messages are transported by the signaling paths needed to control telephone traffic (“out of band”), rather than with the voice traffic itself, during intervals when no signaling traffic exists. As a result, SMS is implemented in practically every mobile station and end point available. Additionally, because SMS typically uses the call setup path, the messages may be transmitted substantially instantaneously, and out of band, without occupying significant media path bandwidth on the network.
Despite the huge popularity of SMS with the public, it has not been successful in a conferencing environment, particularly, one involving interactive communications among groups of users (few-to-few users) or one-to-few users in a controlled group. Although modern SMS clients, such as the iPhone®, can send a one-to-few message, the recipients do not have any indication that they need to respond to multiple parties. Therefore, there exists a substantial need in the art for effective conferencing in text messaging, such as SMS, communications.